Coming To Grips and Moving On: An Open Letter to Giants Fans

I've decided that I simply cannot keep talking about the Giants/Niners game anymore. It's over. We lost, and there's nothing I or anybody else can do about it. Lamenting the loss and debating about the officiating isn't going to change the outcome or make me feel any better about what happened. The statement from the league about the blown call at the end does not lessen the sting even a little bit. It's over, Giants fans. So I say let's move on.

Those who know me know that I bleed Giant blue. I'm a season ticket holder who has only missed a handful of games since 1982. My father has held tickets since 1964. That's 39 years for him and 20 years for me, and sure, there have been plenty of ups and downs along the way. Over any extended period of time there are bound to be disappointments. Sunday might have been the lowest point of them all, but you know what, so be it. They blew a 24 point lead and lost, and it was horrible, but it doesn't diminish any of the great memories I have from those 20 years. If anything, it helps to make me appreciate them more. It puts them into perspective, and reminds me how fortunate I've been to see my squad take two Superbowls and five division titles. My faith in this team and this organization, in truth, has never been stronger.

For true fans, there are going to be times when your loyalty is tested. The Dave Brown years, for instance. Horrific playoff losses to the Rams, Vikings, and now the Niners. They happen, and as a fan you have to learn to come to grips with them and move on. There's no point in dwelling on them, because if you do, you'll eat yourself up inside.

What happened on Sunday was an abomination, plain and simple. It made me sick to my stomach. But you know what else happened on Sunday, Giants fans? Harry Carson and George Young were both named finalists for the Hall of Fame. And as a long time fan, I take great pride in that. Harry Carson was the embodiment of what it means to wear that Giants jersey. He understood the great history of the organization, and was one of the best and classiest players the league ever saw. He definitely deserves a place in the Hall of Fame, right next to L.T. and the other all- time greats who have made the Maras so proud.

I am a Giants fan. So mock me. I love my team no matter what. I show up when it rains. I show up when it snows. I live and die with every snap. But I'm not going to dwell on this loss. I can't do it, for my own health and sanity. I've got to move on. It's the only way.

Hockey season is now in full swing, and my Islanders seem to be making a run. I guess I can turn my attention to them for a while. The Knicks are improving as well, and before you know it baseball season will be upon us. My Mets can't do any worse than they did last year, so there's hope there, too. All of this will give me plenty to distract myself from the horrors of this past weekend, and in time I'll get over it. I promise.

Giants fans, I urge you to follow my lead. If you need to do what I did yesterday, and watch an old game tape of Superbowl XXI, definitely do so. It was therapeutic, friends. Really, it was. And it served to remind me why I put myself through this insane drama every year. I do it because every once in a while you get to feel that feeling I felt in 86 and 90. You get to feel your loyalty rewarded.

Yes, we blew a 24 point lead and lost a true heartbreaker, but there's nothing we can do about it by crying in our beer. Next year is a new year and a new chance to shine. If history has taught us anything, it's that our team rebounds from horrors like this. What did the Giants do the year after the 21-0 loss at the Bears in the 85 playoffs (the Sean Landeta "missed punt" game)? What did they do the year after the Flipper Anderson game? That's right. In both cases, they followed up those horrors with a Lombardi trophy, an award named after a former Giants assistant, let me remind you.

So let's be optimistic, Giants fans. There's no reason to think that 2003 can't be a "super" year for our Giants. Stay loyal.